Oceanic Apartments

Planning to turn professional with BFI support: Vikas

New Delhi: Former Asian Games gold-medallist and two-time Olympian boxer Vikas Krishan has revealed that he is planning to turn professional by the end of this year provided the national federation keeps the amateur doors open for him.

Speaking to PTI from New Jersey (USA), where he has been training for more than two months, the former World Championships bronze-medallist said he has his eyes set on the professional arena.

"I have plans to turn professional by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. I want the support of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). If our BFI President Mr Ajay Singh is okay with the move, I will seriously consider it. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has already ended the divide between amateur and professional," Vikas said.

"I want to compete for the country in amateur events and that is why, I would wait for the national federation's approval to turn professional. The new federation has been doing a good job of rebuilding boxing and it would be a morale-booster for me if the federation is with me in my decision whenever it happens," he added.

BFI Secretary General Jay Kowli said the BFI will formulate a policy on dealing with professional boxers by the end of next month.

"We have been in touch with him. As of now, there is no policy for professional boxers so we are neither supporting nor stopping anyone from going the professional way. We would thrash out a policy next month and boxers would be free to go professional after registering with us but within the ambit of AIBA rules and regulations," Kowli said.

"As a former boxer, I am all for boxers getting the maximum out of their talent in every arena but as Secretary General of a national federation, I would have to ensure that discipline is maintained," he added.

Vikas, a former youth world champion besides being an Asian Championships silver-medallist, has already been training with professional boxers in the US.

"It has helped me immensely. My endurance has improved drastically, which was a weak point of my overall game. I used to struggle to last three rounds but now I can sustain through six or even seven rounds. Sparring with professional boxers has helped me immensely," he explained.

The middleweight boxer also detailed his training schedule in the US, from where he is set to return early next month.

"I have three sessions of two and half hours each daily. The first is dedicated to endurance, the second is focussed on strength and conditioning, and the final session is devoted to boxing," he said.

"This focussed training is 10 times harder than what I have ever experienced in India. Training here has redefined boxing for me. I have also become better at pressure-handling," he added.

In immediate future, Vikas said he is eyeing selection in the Asian Championships to be held either in June or July later this year. The venue for the event has not yet been finalised.

An authoritative India today completed a 3-0 clean sweep of Sri Lanka with an innings and 171-run annihilation in the third and final Test, bringing to an early end to one of the most lopsided series in recent years.
...

Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul shared a brilliant 150-run opening stand before Sri Lanka fought back as India reached 329-6 at stumps on the opening day of the third and the final Test at the Pallekele International ...

In a big relief for S Sreesanth, the Kerala High Court on Monday lifted the lifetime-ban imposed on the tainted pacer by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in connection with the spot fixing case.

Former Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram has been named the brand ambassador of 10PL, which is a UAE-based tennis ball cricket tournament. The tournament boasts the highest prize money for tennis ball cricket anywhere in the ...